The future of work in management consulting
: managerial recommendations on automation, employee development, and managing change

  • Lennard Axel Schneider (Student)

Student thesis: Master's Thesis

Abstract

The management consulting industry is known for its role as an innovation catalyst and change facilitator in transformational client projects. As disruptive forces impact the advice-giving industry, consulting companies are finding themselves in the need of transformation to remain competitive. This interdisciplinary study addresses current business challenges such as artificial intelligence, the need for skills, and the shortage of top talent. It investigates the current state of digital transformation while highlighting the potentials and risks of emerging technologies. The study capitalizes on the perspective of management consulting professionals (N = 116) and provides thousands of ratings for the automatability and desirability of automation at the work activity level. To the researcher's knowledge, it is the first study to investigate the desire forwork automation and the technological automation potential in management consulting. The analysis exhibits that the desire for automation exceeds the perceived technical automation possibilities. The Automatability-Desirability Waves enable a prioritized approach to building a roadmap for AI. Addressing the elements of competitive advantage, recommendations for implementation and change management are developed to support leadership teams in global management consulting firms.
Date of Award3 May 2022
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • Universidade Católica Portuguesa
SupervisorFilipa de Almeida (Supervisor)

Keywords

  • Future of work
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Technological change
  • Automation
  • Management consulting
  • Employee development
  • Employee retainment

Designation

  • Mestrado em Gestão e Administração de Empresas

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